Cultural re-orientation panacea to social vices – Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says breakdown in moral values and increasing disregard for cultural ideals are responsible for social vices in the country.

The Minister stated this on Wednesday while receiving the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of parastatal agencies from the Culture sector of the ministry.

It was reported the delegation were in the minister’s office to congratulate him on his reappointment and to pledge their support to the administration.

Mohammed challenged the CEOs to explore and exploit the possibility of using culture as a tool for peace and sustainable development in the country.

“As you are aware, we are presently beset with a myriad of social vices, including ethno-religious crisis, banditry, terrorism, kidnapping, drug abuse and child trafficking.

“These problems are not unconnected to the breakdown in moral values and increasing disregard for our cultural values,” he said.

Mohammed also proposed cultural diplomacy as long term solution to reducing incidences of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.

The minister, who welcomed the immediate steps taken by the government over the attacks that had led to deaths and loss of livelihood of Nigerians living in South Africa, said cultural diplomacy would help to end the row.

He, therefore, charged the visiting CEOs to come up with ideas that could be developed to culturally unite the two countries, their people and end all forms of hostility.

“The need to deploy the soft power of cultural diplomacy in this regard is more urgent now than ever, and I challenged you all to come up with implementable proposals as soon as possible.

“I stated this much when I hosted the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria here in May 2017,” he said.

The minister thanked the delegation for the visit and solicited their support and cooperation for the great task ahead.

“As I have said at many fora, my reappointment and return to this Ministry is a mark of the confidence reposed in me by President Muhammadu Buhari, and the appreciation of the modest successes we achieved in the first term.

“As they say, the reward for hard work is more work.

“I therefore want to use this opportunity to ask you all to gird your loins in readiness for more work, as we prepare to take the nation to the Next Level.

Earlier, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, the Director-General of National Council for Arts and Culture, who led the delegation said that the reappointment of the minister was deserving.

He said that culture was a veritable tool for peace and national development and stressed the need to develop the sector.

Runsewe assured the minister of the cooperation and support of the parastatal agencies to the minister in moving the sector forward.

The delegation included the CEOs of National Gallery of Arts, National Commission for Museum and Monuments, National Institute for Cultural Orientation.

Others are the CEOs of Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation and National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism.